RAS question
The Union territory of Puducherry has a Legislative Assembly because of:
Correct answer: (C) The Government of Union Territories Act, 1963.
Puducherry has a Legislative Assembly because Parliament enacted the Government of Union Territories Act, 1963, which provides for Legislative Assemblies and Councils of Ministers in Union Territories.
Explanation
Puducherry's Legislative Assembly is rooted in statute, not in the special constitutional arrangement used for Delhi. The Government of Puducherry's official page says that in 1963 Parliament enacted the Government of Union Territories Act, which provides for Legislative Assemblies and Councils of Ministers in Union Territories. Under this framework, Puducherry has a Legislative Assembly and a Council of Ministers, and its legislature can make laws on subjects in the State List and Concurrent List. This is why the correct source is the Government of Union Territories Act, 1963, while Article 239AA is not the basis for Puducherry's legislature.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Article 239AB is not identified by the Official Website of Government of Puducherry, India, as the basis for Puducherry's Legislative Assembly.
- (B) The 69th Amendment is not the basis here, because Puducherry's Assembly traces to the Government of Union Territories Act, 1963.
- (D) Article 239AA belongs to the Delhi-style arrangement mentioned in contrast, whereas Puducherry's legislature is presented as a statutory creation under the 1963 Act.
Concept
This tests Union Territory governance, especially the difference between constitutionally special arrangements and statutory legislatures. RAS repeats this area because Puducherry and Delhi are frequent comparison points in questions on Articles 239 and Union Territory administration.